The Passing Of A Hero
by The Humbug
Summary: This is a KimShego pairing fan fiction and would be set just a little beyond most of the stories of my ‘Who’s Writing This Crap?’ storyline. Kasy Ann and Sheki Go Possible are the sole creations of NoDrogs it is with great respect that I make mention of t


The Passing Of A Hero

Author: The Humbug

Disclaimer: "Kim Possible" and all characters within © The Walt Disney Company and its related entities. Kim Possible created by Mark McCorkle & Bob Schooley. All rights reserved. No profit is being collected from the fiction contained within. You can blame the rest of this on me.

Rating: PG-13 for intimations of a physical relationship and intimate contact between consenting adult females. This should also cover a little harsh language now and then. If this will offend you, please read something else.

Summary: This is a Kim/Shego pairing fan fiction and would be set just a little beyond most of the stories of my 'Who's Writing This Crap?' storyline. Kasy Ann and Sheki Go Possible are the sole creations of NoDrogs (it is with great respect that I make mention of them). I thought of this while I was writing 'A Cookie For Ecclesiastes', which occurs even further into the future.

The Passing Of A Hero

This story is dedicated to the dogs I've owned.

This was the day that always comes; you want to avoid it but then you never want it to end, at the same time not wanting it to last a moment longer. This was going to be the last day, and he knew it.

Ron was tired from not having slept well for the past several nights, each one spent sitting up and looking across the room from his bed, watching and listening and then settling back down to close his eyes, maybe to sleep just a little before the pattern repeated itself. When there was no more cause to remain in bed, he got up and staggered to the bathroom for a quick shower and shave, his fair whiskers never having amounted to much.

Dressing himself in whatever found its way into his hands first, he gently took the plastic cage and carried it down stairs to the kitchen.

His father was there, busy as usual with forms and statistics, apparently putting the finishing touches on his latest actuary report before he left for his office in town. The man was glad to see his son this morning; he loved the boy and just wished that he could empathize more about what he was going through.

"Hi, son, is everything, um…?"

"Yeah, Dad, everything's fine."

"Good, good. You mother had to go out and I'll be leaving soon, also." The older man watched his lanky blond child, now grown into a strong young man, wander around the kitchen and fix a mug of coffee with a cumbersome plastic cage under his arm.

"And your plans for the day are…?"

Ron shrugged as casually as he could.

"Hang around the house, maybe drive to a few places, but I'll be here mostly."

His father nodded, knowing that his boy could handle anything life threw at him, at least with the help of his good friends. The man packed his briefcase and set his own breakfast items in the sink, reaching out to pat his son's shoulder before he left for the day. Ron was ashamed to admit that he was glad to see his father go; he loved both of his parents dearly but he knew that they just didn't fully appreciate why today was such an awful day. He felt that he would be better off by himself.

It is possible to eventually outgrow a pet, he realized, but you can never outgrow a friend.

Ron carried the cage and his coffee out to the front porch, carefully balancing a small saucer on top of the cage; steam rose from the shallow bowl after having spend a few seconds in the microwave. The morning was already warm, which was great, and the sun would shine right onto the porch without blinding his eyes. Setting his load down, he removed the walls of the cage from the base and looked down at the occupant.

Rufus lay nestled in the bottom of the cage, huddled in a shallow burrow of cedar chips and an old washcloth. He wasn't shivering right now, which was good because it was so difficult to keep him warm these days, and the morning sun might be the best thing for his body and his spirits. His pink skin was very pale and dry, like parchment, and his eyes were closed tight. Thin breaths came in wispy gasps that Ron had become accustomed to listening for constantly these last few days.

He was always listening for the next one in anticipation.

Rufus wasn't simply old; he was the Methuselah of naked mole rats. He had been a tiny pink wad of meat when he had accompanied Ron and KP on their first mission. In time his intelligence grew to a level that was evenly matched by his self-awareness. More than an animal but only a little less than fully human, Rufus had come to represent something entirely new in the animal kingdom. There were no others like him anywhere, not in his own species or in any other. As the media began to follow the exploits of his best friend, Ron also gained a modicum of notoriety. While hardly as well known as Kim Possible, everyone could at least point to him and say, 'Hey, it's that blond kid with the hairless rat!'

In time, folks would come up to him and ask him about his naked friend, mostly to poke fun and make jokes, but at least it kept him out of Kim's shadow. As Ron and KP came to meet more and more scientists in their adventures, eventually some of them started to ask a simple question; they wanted to know if, after all these years, was it the same naked mole rat that was in his pocket each and every time? When Ron started telling people that, yes, it was the very same naked mole rat, there were tests and studies and experiments performed.

The little creature was declared to be a miracle of nature.

All good things come to an end.

"Hey, buddy, rise and shine…"

The sun warmed his tired bones and made it easier to roll over, his master's voice coming from somewhere over his head.

"I've got a surprise for you. Look!"

Rufus felt something being set down on the washcloth beside him; it was warm and the familiar smell that always used to rouse him and that he would have walked a mile for. Now his tiny legs were pained from the aches in his hip joints and spine, and his neck was almost frozen solid from arthritis. The rodent looked up and did his best to reply.

"…"

"What's that buddy? What did Ron bring you?"

"cheez!"

Ron watched Rufus roll over and smell the warm saucer, peering at it through squinting eyes, staring at the treat but not quite able to do anything about it. There were nachos already in the cheese, hand crushed by Ron and mixed in, making a sort of paste that the little guy could chew and swallow easily. The mole rat still didn't try to eat.

With a resigned sigh, Ron removed his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a special number. As the signal rang through, he dipped the index finger of his other hand into the saucer and smeared a healthy coating of cheese onto it, resting his hand close to his naked cohort. Rufus sniffed and opened hi eyes in amazement.

Hey, the cheese came to me! Cool! What will they think of next!

As Rufus gingerly licked the cheese from Ron's finger, the call was finally answered by a voice that Ron had been hearing for years, but never could bring himself to fully expect. The voice sounded aggressively excited and preoccupied, and Ron was certain that he heard explosions in the background.

"Hello, Kimmie can't come to the Kimmunicator right now because she's entertaining three giant mutated octopi!" There was a muffled yell from the background and the same voice responded to it.

"Well, sorry, little Miss Perfect, that's sure what it looks like from here! The last time I ever watched you do that, we had the camcorder and musical accompaniment!" There were more explosions and the sound of rending metal.

"Hi, Shego, are you two busy?"

The harried voice returned.

"Stoppable? No shit, we're busy! It sure would've been nice if you were here, we could've used the help… OW!" Ron thought he heard a man grunting and then the sound of meat hitting a cement floor before the voice came back.

"Damn mercenaries!"

"Can I speak with Kim?" It was odd to have the woman who was once his worst enemy screaming at him and he not feel that tightening of his guts; grief has a cleansing effect and that didn't matter right at this moment.

"What the Hell do you think… hang on a minute… KIMMIE, DON'T TOUCH THAT, YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S BEEN… sorry, she's really… heh… tied up right now!"

"Would you give her a message?"

"Ok, sure… wait a second… good thing this mercenary at my feet had a pen and note pad. Shoot!"

"Please tell her that when you are finished wrapping up whatever sitch you're in that now would be the time for her to bring the girls over for a last visit. You're welcome, too."

"Huh? What… oh… oh, um, sure. I'll tell her. Got to go… bye."

The signal was disconnected and Ron set the phone down. He had been watching the mole rat during the entire conversation as he polished off the cheese from his finger and lay back down to sleep.

One hour went bye, then another. Ron didn't keep to the porch the entire time; he moved the cage out into the yard and gently set Rufus out onto the lawn so that he could feel the soft blades of grass against his belly. The rodent responded a little to this, so Ron dug his fingers into the grass and peeled back a small divot, letting the tiny beast smell the fresh soil.

While they sat in the grass, the cell phone rang.

"Yellow?"

"Ron? Hi, it's Wade."

"Hey, Wade, what's the sitch?"

"I was calling to ask you the same question. How is the little guy?"

Ron was pleased to see that Rufus was actually standing on all four legs and had tottered away from the cage a few inches before going back to sleep.

"Ruf-daddy's kicking it as always." Ouch, bad choice of words.

"That's good. So how are you?"

Ron smiled at how people were always asking him how he was doing; he was fine, it was his friend that was dying. Ron had come to terms with this fact of life a few weeks ago when Rufus had that one bad morning when he didn't get out of his nest. Then the other symptoms started and the veterinarian had given the Stoppable family the news.

It had been a scared little boy that had needed a living, breathing pet to replace his imaginary friends. As the boy grew, so did his understanding of the world, and with that understanding comes truths both pleasant and harsh. This just happened to be one of the harsh ones.

"I'm fine, Wade, really."

"Ok. I was wondering. Hey, you know that there are… thinks that might be done, right?"

"Yeah, I know. But I think that Shego actually said it best. 'No cloning'."

"I guess I understand. Well, call me if you need anything."

"Sure will! Thanks, Wade, I appreciate it. Talk to you later, Ok?"

"Ok. Bye."

Ron scooped the sleeping Rufus up, the little guy weighing almost nothing in his hands. Feeling as if they could both stand a change of scenery, he went back inside the house and changed into something a little more presentable and carried the cage to his car. Being extra careful not to jostle the cage, he pulled out of the driveway and drove towards the business section of town. It was still early but the lunch hour was fast approaching and Ron found that he was hungry. It wasn't all that surprising that he would be; Ron was still an active young man and he had been neglecting his own needs somewhat while he cared for Rufus these past few days.

Pulling into the parking lot at Bueno Nacho, he walked around to the passenger seat and opened the cage.

"Rufus?"

The little pink body twitched and breathed.

"Hey, buddy, do you feel up to a mission?"

One eye opened and the mole rat rolled over.

"Feeling Ok?"

"… s'okay…"

"All right?"

"…s'ahrite.."

"Great! It's mission time! Do you want to ride shotgun like always?"

If it was time for a mission, someone must need help. That meant that it was time to get moving!

Rufus rolled back onto his belly and lifted himself up, waiting patiently for Ron to lower his hand so that he could climb on. He felt himself lifted out of the cage and then lowered again, this time into the warm confines of his master's pants pocket. Ron walked into the Bueno Nacho restaurant and looked down at his side, gratified to see that Rufus had his head out and was looking around.

The smell of Diablo sauce was heady in the air, as was the aroma of hot cheese and corn flour. Ron felt his friend becoming excited and saw that Rufus was actually smiling up at him.

'heven!"

This made Ron stop cold; he froze in his tracks and did his best to stay in control. His composure started to crack a little and he almost turned around and left the building. What the Hell had made him even leave the house, bringing Rufus here in his condition? Ron stepped aside to let other patrons order their food while he took a moment to remind himself that this was a small price to pay for his friend.

"That's… that's right buddy."

Ron kept his voice even as he placed a small Naco order, with Ned the counterman wondering why his best customer looked so gloomy.

'grande!'

Ron laughed and wiped his eyes; the weak voice just barely reaching his ears.

"You heard the man, Ned! Grande size that bad boy!"

"You got it, sir!" Now this was more like the Ron Stoppable he knew.

Sitting away from his preferred spot, Ron sat down in a booth right in the sun, glaring and hot, but it was perfect to let his partner in snackage stay warm on the table top while they ate lunch. Rufus ate very little, as was usual for him lately, but he did take in some water from an ice cube that Ron had cadged from his soda cup. Rufus also nibbled on a single crumb of nacho, damp and soft after Ron had soaked it in his beverage, the sweet flavor holding the attention of the tired creature.

Lunch finished whether he wanted it or not, Ron left the restaurant knowing that this was the last time they would ever be together in Bueno Nacho. That was a word that kept running though the young man's mind; the last this, the last that, what we do together today will be for the last time.

Fine, so this day has to count for a little more, is all.

The next few hours were spent driving around the town and rural areas outside of Middleton in an apparently random pattern; in reality they were revisiting some old haunts. Taking a great risk to his little friend's tenuous health, Ron set Rufus loose up on the top of the dashboard; the rodent seemed a bit more energized after his nourishment and seemed alert for the first time in days.

Here was where that huge fire had occurred. This was the very spot on which Drakken's broadcast power machine had led to the beginning of one of their darkest missions ever. Over there was the park where Ron and Kim once spoke of a possible future together…

Enough of that, Ron reminded himself. I have nothing to regret. He removed the cell phone from his pocket and dialed another special number, first having pulled over to avoid any accidents.

"Hello? This is the Rockwaller residence."

"Bon-Bon, it's Ron-Ron!"

"Ron! How are you? Oh, I was just thinking about you the other day!"

"Glad to hear it."

He remembered the last time he had seen her in the flesh, and what had occurred between them, and the outcome. Ron smiled at the image of Bonnie in his head, and also at his partner; Rufus was actually standing upright for looking around from atop the dashboard, albeit with a baffled expression on his tiny face.

"Say, hang on a second. There's someone here that might want to say 'Hi'." He held the phone out to Rufus, who blinked at it in confusion.

"Hey, buddy! It's Bonnie. You remember, 'Bon-Bon'?"

No reaction. This was a new and altogether ill omen if his mind was fading.

"Rufus, do you remember Bonnie?"

After a few more seconds elapsed, the pink beast seemed to gather his wits. He slowly nodded and gave a small grin, his prominent teeth still white and intact. Rufus lowered himself onto all four paws and spoke as loud as he could manage into the phone.

'm'sexay!'

Ron grinned back and brought the cell phone to his ear in time to hear Bonnie's beautiful laugh from two hundred miles away.

"How sweet! How's he doing, Ron?"

Here we go again; it's no one's fault, but how many times must I have to say this?

"That's the thing, Bon-Bon. He's here with me and we've been driving around awhile because he doesn't have much longer. Today… is probably the day and, well, we're just a couple of average Joe's cruising the town, you know?" Ron's voice cracked a little but he did the best he could to hide it. Rufus was asleep again so Ron gently deposited the little guy on the passenger seat.

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry. Really, I am so, so sorry." He heard her voice hitch slightly. "I know what he means to you. I'm sorry that I'm not there for you."

She meant it; he knew this as surely as he knew why she wasn't here for him.

"It's Ok, really. He's having a real good day. So… how is Alex?"

Bonnie didn't answer immediately, apparently still feeling bad for Ron and wanting to be able to do something about it. Join the club, he thought; we have jackets.

"Well, you got the photographs I sent out over the holidays, right?"

"I certainly did. Thanks for those. He's beautiful, just like his mother!"

"Oh, he's smart and handsome like his father and he's into absolutely everything." The distress was quickly replaced by pride and love for her son. "They call it the 'Terrible Twos' for a good reason! He's a little angel and devil all rolled into one!"

Ron was afraid to ask his question, and was surprised to hear that he wouldn't have to.

"Would… would you mind if we came out there in a few days? It's time for another visit to my mother and we could spend some time together, you and Alex and I."

"Bon-Bon, I'd love that. I really would. When would you visit?"

"When would be a good time?"

She's smart and considerate; we have to have a serious talk when she gets here.

"Any time after the end of the week; beyond that, you'd have my undivided attention."

"I understand, Ron. I'll call you again in a day or two, before we leave here. Will you please give the little guy a kiss from me?"

"Well, I don't know that he'd appreciate a Bonnie-style smooch from the Ron-Monster, but I'll try anything once!" For the first time in weeks, he had a light in his heart to ward off the darkness.

"Thanks for calling me, Ron. Thanks for thinking of me."

"Every minute of every day. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

The car made its uneventful return trip to the Stoppable residence and Rufus was back in his cage. Ron let himself into the house and fixed a large ice water to take back to the porch; he was not going to waste a single moment of this beautiful day inside. Back on the front porch, the young man opened the cage and once again set his friend out onto the grass to soak in the afternoon sun. Still asleep, Rufus looked peaceful, and his breathing seemed deeper but not without a dry wheeze that had not been present that morning.

A car had been moving down the street and would have been ignored except that it slowed down and turned into his driveway. Ron quickly recognized the passengers and smiled; he'd prayed that they would get a chance to stop by before… well, before.

Ron noted that only three people got out of the car.

"Hey, KP. I guess you got my message?"

She walked briskly to the porch, still battered and bruised from her mission that morning. Her hair was as rich and beautifully red as always, even if there was a little soot and what might have been octopus ink in it. The loose fitting cargo pants rode across trim hips, the full black shirt hiding more skin than it used to.

"Yeah, I did. We got back as soon as we could. Ron, can we see him, talk to him?"

Ron nodded and simply held out his open hand to gesture at the sleeping rodent. He knew why Kim, of all people, wasn't asking how either he or Rufus were doing; she was his best human friend and had been with them both off and on over the last few days. She'd even watched over the naked mole rat when Ron had personal business to take care of that was urgent. Rufus was almost as big a part of her life as he had been of Ron's.

Damn it, thinking in the past tense already.

"Girls, let's all be careful; you know that little Rufus is very, very sick, right?"

Kasy's red mop nodded to signify her understanding, while Sheki blinked a few times and answered for both of them.

"Wittle Wufus sicky."

"Sicky poo."

The twins were five years old and had also enjoyed many fun times with the tiny creature. He had helped to feed them when they were being fussy, and had even helped to save their lives once upon a time. Ron wondered how young he had looked with he first made that purchase at Smarty Mart years ago.

"That's right; little Rufus is very sick. Let him sleep if he wants to, but be very gentle with him if he wakes up."

"Yes, Mommy."

"We will."

Together they got down onto the dry grass and lay before the pink form, watching and waiting and interpreting events however children manage to understand such things as are beyond their level of experience. Their Mommy moved to sit beside her best friend since pre-kindergarten.

"Thanks for calling us. The girls have been talking about him a lot this week."

"Are you kidding? We're family, all of us." Even as he said this, his gaze lifted to take in the car with its solitary passenger. Kim noticed and attempted to explain.

"We talked on the way over her. She just can't do it. I'm sorry Ron, and she's sorry too, but… she just can't." She didn't know what else to say. "Please understand."

"I do. I do understand, and it's all right. I'd rather not have to live through this, but, well…" Ron collected his thoughts and did his best to put something in perspective that had been kicking around inside his head for a week.

"This whole thing is like a roller coaster ride, you know? It's scary and you want to scream and run away from it but you can't; you're locked into the seat and have to stick it out 'til the ride's over. But that's the thing… you know that it is going to end, and soon, and then you can walk away as if it had never happened."

He held out his empty hand and Kim quickly filled it.

"He's fine. He won't feel any pain or be confused or wonder why he can't walk or stand for very long. Nope, we don't have to worry about little Rufus. It's the rest of us that will feel the sting for a while."

He saw that she was doing her best not to cry. There is no shame in tears, if they are honest, so she deserved her chance to shed a few tears and help wash the pain out of her system.

"KP, can you and the girls stay here for a moment? I swear that I won't be long and will just be around the back of the house. Ok?"

"Sure Ron, take your time." Lord, she was beautiful, as was her life and her children. Nope, Ron knew that there was nothing about his world that was worth a second of regret.

He gave her hand a quick squeeze and left the porch. Ambling around the house, he had already set out a few items that he knew he would need. Grabbing the most traditional implement by the handle, he made what little preparations were necessary and inspected the spot he had selected for the purpose.

It was a quiet spot, just beyond the edge of the cleared yard and near a large rock.

With nothing more to be done for the moment, he returned to the front of the house in time to see Kim quickly wiping her face clean of the evidence. She had apparently taken his well-intended absence as an opportunity to relieve her sorrows. That, and Ron was glad to see that the girls had found something to cheer them up, and Kim wouldn't have ruined that for anything.

"Unca Ron! Look!"

"Wufus' up!"

Indeed, the naked mole rat was awake and standing upright. He looked a little unsteady on his hindquarters, but the girls just smiled and laughed and held out their chubby hands so that he could balance himself. He seemed happy to see them, not able to scamper and jump but grinning and squeaking at them and waving one tiny paw after the other.

The wizened creature slowly rolled onto his back, partly because he was getting tired again but more so that the twins could rub his belly. With his weight off of his sore limbs, he could wriggle all four paws at once and he let them tickle him.

"Easy, girls, easy. Not too hard."

"KP, he's loving it. It's no big."

Time passed and the little girls were getting sleepy; they had missed a nap and the afternoon was slipping into evening. Kim helped them up from the ground and Ron held Rufus so they could each give him a tender kiss on the head, one from Sheki, from Kasy and lastly from Kim. The fifth member of this extended family sat in the car and watched the activities with a look on her face that would be difficult to describe.

Kim paused before taking the children back to the car.

"Oh, I just remembered something that I wanted to tell you; I got a call from Bonnie the other day."

"Oh? What did she say?" Ron decided to keep it a secret for now that he had just spoken with Bonnie herself a few hours ago.

"Bonnie asked about you and we talked about our children." Kim was discrete, as always. She never did come right out and ask Ron the question that was in her eyes; she just smiled a playful smile and looked at him with her piercing gaze.

"I think that she's planning to move back here, back to Middleton, sometime soon."

"That would be great."

"Yep, she and little Alexander." Would he take the bait?

"That would be great. We'd love to have her back with us."

Nope! Not yet. Ron smiled to know the intent behind Bonnie visit, but would keep that a secret as well.

"Ok, I'd better get these two home and fed and ready for bed."

"No!"

"Wanna stay!"

"Hey, hey! Let's all go see Momma and tell her what you did today at Grandma and Grandpa's house."

"Ok, Mommy!" The little girls smiled and ran back to the car; the occupant stepped out long enough to help them in and get them strapped down in their safety seats for the ride home.

Kim took Ron's hand again and pulled him in for a hug.

"Be well, Ron. I'll explain things to the girls over time; you realize that they don't understand, right?"

"Sure, thanks. He'd never want them to feel sad for him." They looked down to see that 'he' was sleeping, dry rasps counting down the time remaining.

Kim kissed he young man on the cheek.

"Bye."

"Yeah, goodbye."

She left him and walked to the car, sad in her heart for her best friend, but also recognizing that it was a young man she had kissed and not the lonely little boy that she'd first met. He would be just fine once the roller coaster ride was over.

The daylight had just started to fade a few minutes earlier, making the red tail lights of the car seem that much brighter as it started out of the driveway. Ron watched it go with his mind pretty much a blank, but became aware that the vehicle had stopped. More to the point, it was backing up towards the house again. The front passenger door opened and a tall woman got out.

Shego was still wearing her mission uniform, and hers was slightly burned in places with several tiny rips in the material; her pale green skin was already fully healed. She had her arms folded tight across her chest and she kept her head down and her eyes didn't rise to meet his as she walked up to the porch.

She stopped when she reached the steps and looked down into the open cage. Curious, Ron gave her all the room he could.

"Hey, Shego."

"…Ron…"

Drinking cup in hand, Ron nonchalantly turned away as if to take a drink of his water, giving the former villain a modicum of privacy. From the corner of his eye he saw her actually lower herself down onto her knees and bend low, giving the sleeping rodent her own tender kiss on his tiny head. She was unsteady as she rose to her feet, shaking a little and starting to sob. Without another word to him, she quickly turned away and ran back to the waiting car, both hands to her face and crying louder with each step.

Ron made a mental note to never speak of this again, but he would respect her all the more because of it.

When he was alone once more, he sat back down on the porch and set his cup beside him, looking at how the setting sun was shading the whole sky a bruised purple. He reached into the cage, ever so careful to not disturb his partner, and took hold of the oldest naked mole rat in the world. Leaning back against a post, Ron watched the sunset with the little pink body lying across his chest.

At one point Rufus stirred, rolling onto his side and facing the young man, black beady eyes open and looking at the freckled face with intelligence. Rufus smiled but did not speak, no words being the least bit necessary or adequate.

Thanks for everything.

Hey, what are friends for?

Nestled against his chest, the naked mole rat closed his eyes in sleep. Ron found himself once again counting the breaths; once twice, three times.

Waiting.

It was over.

Several minutes elapsed before his numb fingers carefully removed the limp form from his chest and set it back down within the folds of the washcloth. He did not stand and perform his last duty as a friend yet. There was more than enough time for that before the night came fully to Middleton, and right now Ron Stoppable was going to finish a quiet evening with the best friend that he'd ever had. Taking another drink from his water cup, Ron let this day slowly wind down.

Epilog

The light in his eyes had been blinding at first but quickly dimmed, but not into dusk or shadow; rather it had assumed the rosy cast of dawn. The ground was warm and his limbs no longer ached, his eyes were able to focus clearly on the rising sun in all its glory and splendor. He lifted himself and looked around, turning at the sudden noise of two newcomers behind him.

"Jonathan, I say! What is that little creature?"

"Miriam, I'm certain that I do not know."

The lanky man tugged at his trouser leg and settled down on one knee, all the better to take a closer look at the tiny beast. It gazed back up at him with a look that might almost have been one of recognition and puzzlement combined.

Extending his hand, the creature sniffed at it, and then it touched one of the man's fingers with its own miniscule paw, and then it calmly climbed onto the man's palm as if it were used to doing so all of the time!

"Well, I say, this is a mystery! The little thing seems tame enough." Jonathan lifted the creature and held it out for Miriam to get a better look.

She smiled at the beast and it smiled back, a pink stub of a tail wagging fervently.

"Can we keep it with us?"

"I don't see why not, my dear."

Jonathan had been holding his coat across his shoulder, leaving his waistcoat exposed; he gently deposited the tiny creature in his waistcoat pocket so that it could watch them and they could keep an eye on it as well.

"Well, Mim, what shall we do this fine morning?" He looked around at the wooded glens and fields full of trees and foliage in full bloom. The sky was the brightest shade of blue that anyone could ever imagine, with just enough clouds for good measure.

"I think that we might find a stream ahead, dear Jonathan. Perhaps we could find it and see if there are others with whom we might share our company!"

"Capital suggestion, my dear, capital!" He beamed at her through his mustache and took her hand; each of the three wondering what adventures might lie just over the next hill.

The End.

Author's Notes: You should have seen me while I was typing this; I'm such a frigging baby! Obviously, this is the end of an era within my own personal Kigo-verse and the only later ones planned are the 'Cookie' and 'Crumbs' stories. Pretty much anything I write will be occurring within a six year period of time, at least that's the plan as of right now.


End file.
